Kevin Vallejos signed a new UFC contract ahead of his Nov. 21 fight with Aljamain Sterling, and he sounds like a man who just checked his bank app twice. Sterling used the moment to remind him what’s waiting in Doha.
Vallejos posted on X that he couldn’t believe how much money he’s getting paid to fight, then added three crying emojis. He didn’t put a number on it. MiddleEasy reported that Vallejos confirmed the new deal but kept the financial terms to himself, and NDTV Sports ran his line “We Just Signed A New Deal With The UFC” in its headline. Sherdog framed the whole thing as Vallejos being stunned by the money, which, judging by the emojis, is fair.
Sterling quote-tweeted the paycheck post within minutes. The former bantamweight champion wrote that it barely counts as a fight when you’re “getting held down until the cops come,” with a laughing emoji attached.
View post on X
Vallejos had already floated his game plan. “Try to hold me down and you will get tired. And when you get tired, I will knock you out,” he wrote. Sterling’s reply landed about two minutes after the first jab: “Don’t get taken down. Trust me. You ain’t getting up unless the ref jumps in.”
What’s riding on Doha
The fight is listed second on the UFC Qatar card at Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena, behind the Jiri Prochazka vs. Navajo Stirling light heavyweight main event. Dan Hooker vs. Brian Ortega is on the same card.
View post on X
Sterling has been rebuilding at featherweight after a close loss to Movsar Evloev. He followed it with a win over Ortega, then beat Yussef Zalal, who came in riding an eight-fight win streak. A win over Vallejos makes it three straight at 145. Sterling said on his YouTube channel this week that a good performance against Vallejos could put him next in line for a title shot, though he admitted that isn’t guaranteed. That’s also why he passed on Aaron Pico, who had called him a “ranking merchant.” Sterling called the accusation bizarre and pointed to his schedule: Ortega, Zalal, and now a guy MMA Junkie described as one of the hardest hitters in the division.
The champ seems to agree with the math. Alexander Volkanovski, who stopped Evloev in the second round at UFC 333, told Uncrowned that Sterling would deserve the next shot over Jean Silva if he wins this one, specifically because he’s taking a fight against someone as dangerous as Vallejos.
So the stakes are clear enough. Sterling gets a probable title shot with a win. Vallejos, the surging contender with the fresh contract, gets to leapfrog a former champion and cash checks that apparently make him cry.
View post on X
I’ll take the kid’s honesty all day. Fighters almost never say out loud that the money is good, and Vallejos did it with emojis. His plan is the one every striker brings into a Sterling fight, though, and Sterling has spent a career making that plan look naive. Vallejos has until Nov. 21 to figure out how to stay upright long enough to spend it.
